Chicago

John F. McDonald is Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Gerald W. Fogelson Distinguished Chair in Real Estate Emeritus, Roosevelt University, USA

• 1. Some Useful Economic Models in Prose 2. Chicago and the Development of the Old Northwest 3. The Second City: 1900-1930 4. Depression and War 5. Chicago in 1950, and a Look Ahead 6. Postwar Growth and Suburbanization: 1950-1970 7. The Decades of Urban Crisis 8. The Old Century Ends on a High Note, and a New Century Begins

"Though much of the text is devoted to dry statistical analysis, the author’s account is leavened by personal reflections drawn from his professional experience and a family history entwined with Chicago’s development since the late 19th century. The result is an engaging depiction of Chicago’s rise to prominence as a national transportation hub and manufacturing powerhouse. Populated by waves of immigrants and African American migrants, it was the American "Second City" during the mid-20th century. The last half of the book contends with Chicago’s more problematic recent evolution as population stagnated and the city’s manufacturing economy fell into terminal decline. Despite the city's economic turnaround in the 1990s, the Great Recession and its aftermath leave the author uncertain about Chicago’s future"R. S. Hewett, Drake University, CHOICE